Outtakes from More To Love Than This
by maxigrumpling
Summary: <html><head></head>Numbered outtakes that give the background detail to the original story. Including Jasper and Emmett versus Jake, Charlie's restraining order, Edward and Bella at the clinic, the arrests and the police POV. Requests for outtakes being taken, please PM me.</html>
1. Chapter 1

**Hope you like it.**

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><p>Outtake #1<p>

Emmett and Jasper versus Jake Black.

**Emmett's POV**

It's hard to watch my little brother losing his junk in the waiting room. I've never seen him like this, like he's lost. He's usually the organised one.

When Rosie had Angus it was Edward that kept me calm through it all. Rosie still doesn't know, but every now and then I'd tell her I needed a drink, or a pee, or to make a call, or whatever. But I'd really go find Ed. He'd talk me down off my ledge and I'd be able to go back to Rosie with a straight face.

He has no idea but he's my best friend. He was the best man at my wedding and by the look on his face he'll be needing one himself soon. He kind of got the best bits of our parents. Mom's colouring and quietness, dad's brains and loyalty.

Thinking about myself I wonder if Ed's got some info I don't have. He's always said I am the product of mom's indiscretion with a pro wrestler and maybe he's right. I'm loud where he's quiet, I'm wide where he's narrow, I'm the steak to his gravy I guess. He's got that pretty kind of face chicks love and I've got the dimples. It was a good deal, no matter which way you look at it.

But looking at him now I don't see the confident, over achieving quiet guy I know him to be. I see a broken heart sick boy who's just been sucker punched in his gut.

I was slowly forming the idea that Jake Black, whoever the fuck that punk is, needs to meet me and my brother in law, and soon, when the brother in law in question nudges me and tells Ed that we've gotta run out for a bit.

I'm hoping he's on the same page as me and is planning on a little visit. I follow him out of the waiting room and the instant we are out of Edward's earshot I'm on him. "Where are we going?" I ask.

He throws me his car keys, "I want at least two good, clear hits. One for the list and one for the mattress on the floor." He tells me as we slide into his car.

I turn the ignition on and buckle my seatbelt. "Deal. I'll hold him while you get yours, then we switch, right?" I ask him as I back out of the parking space.

"Deal." He tells me. We're quiet for a bit, both probably lost in what we've just seen and heard, but eventually it's Jaz who breaks the silence. "Ed's fucked." He sniggers.

"Totally. You see the stupid look on his bonce when I took the baby from him? Oh man, he's gone, totally gone." I laugh.

"Totally." He agrees. "Never seen it before, you?"

"Nope. I thought for a while he had a serious thing for that strawberry blonde, Tanya, remember her?" I ask.

He's nodding but he doesn't look happy. "Oh I hated that bitch. Every time he left the room she was a totally different person." Jasper says.

"I know!" I yell. "I tried to tell Rosie that but she said I didn't know what I was talking about. But she totally did that, didn't she? At your engagement party she was dancing with dad all nice and shit, then when the oldies went home she dragged Edward out of there like we weren't good enough for her anymore." I complain.

"I know, I saw that. Alice was so pissed. Ed didn't want to leave but she made him." Jasper agrees. "What do you know about this Bella?" He asks.

"Not a lot. I kinda remember what she looks like, she spent a lot of time with Alice, but I don't really know anything about her now. She's the same age as Alice, hasn't she ever told you about her?" I ask as I pull the car to a stop on the curb outside the apartment building we'd visited earlier.

"Alice said she was Bella's best friend way back when and she talks about her all the time, but I've never met her. I assumed she moved away, we never saw her even though Alice talks about her like a sister." He takes his seatbelt off and turns to face me over the console. "So, how do you want to do this? Good cop, bad cop or just flog fuck out of him?" he asks.

"I think flog fuck out of him. But I want him to know why we're hitting him dude, I need the chance to explain that it's on Bella's behalf. Oh, and Elizabeth's." I tell him and he nods. "Right, how about we go introduce ourselves and see what he's got to say?" I snigger and unfold myself from the tiny car.

I toss the keys to Jaz and he pockets them while we make our way up the stairs to the front door. I crack my neck and lace my fingers together and crack my knuckles. Jaz squares his shoulders and pushes the doorbell. We hear it ring and then hear footsteps as the punk comes to the door.

"Hello?" He says, stupid blank look on his face. "Can I help you?"

He's a big fucker, I'll give him that. But, the bigger they are the louder they cry. I smile. "Good evening, I'm Emmett Cullen and this here is my brother in law Jasper Whitlock. We'd like to talk to you about your wife and child." I tell him calmly.

"She's not here." He hisses.

Jasper chuckles darkly. "We know, that's why we're here, can we come in?" He asks like he's there to sell bibles or some shit.

The stupid fucker actually steps aside and invites us in. He'll fucking regret that in about ten seconds I think as I go past him into the living room.

I spare a glance for the wall in the kitchen where Bella's list of rules is pinned and then I turn around so I'm facing him as he comes into the room with us. "Where is she?" He asks casually, like his dogs gone missing, not his wife and kid.

Jaz takes the lead, "She's in the hospital." No reaction from the punk. "She's been beaten pretty badly, any idea how that happened?" He asks more calmly than I would have. I would've beaten him first, maybe stopped to ask the odd question later.

The fucker actually has the balls to snigger before he answers. "Dunno." Is the mighty intelligent comeback. "She's pretty clumsy."

"Clumsy?" I hiss. I can see him squaring off now, he's twigged that this isn't a social call. "You think she beat herself up, is that what you're gonna go with?" I ask as I take a small step toward him.

He backs up a little, but doesn't back down. He hits women and I'm betting he doesn't mind throwing the odd punch at guys either. Suits me fine. "Why do I have to tell you what goes on in my own home?" He asks, head tipped to the side like he's only just worked out that he's actually invited the trouble into the place.

I look at Jaz and he takes this one. "Well, you see, our brother, that would be Edward Cullen, he's patched your wife up a couple of times now and he's kind of come around to the idea that someone is hurting her, that someone would be you." Jaz says quite calmly for a guy who's flexing his fists and wants to punch.

Jake sneers at us in turn and then smiles. He's a native so he's got these big, white teeth and when he smiles it's like someone's flicked the lights on. I aint buying the bullshit he's selling though. "Well, then, your brother is full of shit. He's been calling my _wife_ for months and I wouldn't mind betting he's the prick who's been fucking her." He spits at Jaz's feet.

BAM! Jasper lets fly with a right hook that Rocky Balboa would be proud of. Hits the clown right in the kisser and sends him to the canvas. Jaz stands over him and spits right back at him. "He aint fucking her." Jasper says rather ineloquently for a high school teacher. "He wouldn't do that and she's a nice girl. But I tell you one thing for free, you won't be fucking with her again."

Jake gets up when Jasper retreats and he aint happy. He looks from me to Jaz then back again, assessing which of us he wants a piece of first. "What's it got to do with you two?" He asks finally. "You two next on her list? I gotta tell ya, she's a crap root. Just lies there." He sneers.

I can't resist and land my first punch to his jaw while he's still speaking. He hits the ground like the steaming pile of human excrement that he is. I'll give him credit though, he's on his feet and swinging again in seconds. He actually lands one to my side, but it's hardly hard and I don't even flinch. He's circling me now, he's not happy, but no matter, I'm heaps bigger and I'm heaps more pissed than he is.

I punctuate – big word, I know, but it's on my word for the day calendar – each of my next punches with the details of what I know. "I'm – punch – not – punch – on – punch – any – punch – list – punch – because – punch – she's – punch – not – punch – like – punch - that."

His nose is busted for sure now. It's pissing out blood and I can see that Jasper is dying to have a turn, so I hold the punk by his collar and let Jaz have a go. I need to catch my breath anyway.

Jaz is smaller than me but he's pissed too, really pissed by the force he uses to hit Jake. He clocks him right in the side of the head and I can't hold the asshole up and he crumples to the floor. "She was sleeping on the floor while you lived in pristine luxury you dirty cunt." He screams into the now blood covered face of Bella's husband. I smirk at the c-bomb and find I have a new respect for my brother in law. Under his nice white button down and brown leather school satchel lurks the soul of a man who can not only hit, but can hit and drop the c-bomb without flinching. I watch, with some admiration, as Jasper kicks him in the gut with some serious force. There is a loud crack as his ribs break and another when Jaz pulls him up so he's half sitting against the wall while he punches him in the jaw once more. "The ribs are for the mattress, the jaw is for the rules list." He spits as Jake slumps back down the wall and hits the floor with a thud.

Jasper's chest is heaving as he turns to me and asks if there's anything more I want to tell the boy.

"Oh yeah, I got plenty." I say thank you for the opportunity – good calendar word that one, very useful – and pull Jake up onto his feet. He's pretty fucking impressive because he doesn't ask us to stop or anything. He just squares up and gets ready for the next blow. I oblige by giving in a little love tap to his broken ribs. He squeaks a bit and then starts whining about us having made our point and we should get the fuck out. "Not quite done." I tell him. "That's one from me for the rules list." I punch him in the thigh as hard as I can with the point of my knuckles and Jasper laughs. "You like that one bro? Old football trick, nice corked thigh for you fucker." I punch the other thigh and he hits the ground like the bag of shit that he is. "You can call that one for the baby." I tell him.

Stupid mother fucker gets up smiling and laughing! I take a step back and wonder if he's man or machine because with two corked thighs a broken nose, god knows how many broken ribs and I'm thinking about a hundred bruises and cuts he comes up fucking laughing! "Oh yeah, the bastard kid." He laughs as he slumps against the kitchen wall.

I've had it by this stage. Laugh at me if you want, but don't call kids bastards. I pull him using the scruff of his neck so he's laying spread out on the floor between the kitchen and the living room. I give him a little nudge with the toe of my boot, which makes him yell because my aim is impeccable – another good calendar word, I'll have to thank Alice for it again and ask for another one this year – and I just so happen to connect with his already broken ribs. When he's good and down, like literally down on the floor under my boot, I kick him again so he rolls over. I push down on my boot on the back of his neck, "Elizabeth is not a bastard, you are. You beat her mother, starved her and you call yourself a man, let alone a father." I yell down at him. "You come near her or her mother again and I'll kill you myself. We clear bro?" I hiss.

Fucker gurgles a bit and some blood trickles out the corner of his mouth. I don't really give a shit but Jaz says I should roll him over. I do but he's okay, just beat up, which is what I was there for. "I won't be coming for the kid, she's not even mine." He mumbles through his split lips.

"What do you mean?" Jaz asks.

"She was already knocked up when I agreed to take her off Charlie's hands. You can fucking have the kid, it's no good to me." He mumbles and passes out cold.

Jaz kicks him in the ribs once more for good measure and spits on his chest. He pulls out his cell phone and starts dialling. I know he's a pussy and is dialling 911, but I let him anyway. I don't want the fucker to die, not really. I want the chance to hit him again one day, can't do that if he's dead. "I heard some screaming and a loud bang in apartment number 12 at 421 Camas Street. Send an ambulance I think the young man who lives up there is hurt." He says in a pissy, whiny voice then hangs up. "It's time to go dude." He tells me. "Not good for your mojo to hit a man while he's out to it." He says.

I look down at the useless piece of dog turd lying on the floor and decide my mojo can take the hit. I give him a good, swift kick to his meat and two veg. Jasper winces but I don't give a shit. "I know its bad form to hit a man where he plays, but he's been playing hard, let's see if he ever gets hard again." I laugh.

Jasper pulls me out of the place by the collar. We get into his car just as the first peal of the sirens floats in through the windows. He drives like a man possessed and we are well clear by the time the cops show up. The ambulance won't be too far behind so we pull up in the parking lot two blocks down and watch from there. Sure enough, one minute behind Charlie Swan's cruiser is an ambulance.

"You need the vet?" I ask Jaz who's looking down at his knuckles bleakly.

"Yeah, reckon this one needs a stitch." He says.

"I've fucking told you a hundred times, accuracy over force." I shake my head and laugh. "Go round to Ed's clinic, Kate'll still be there, she won't grass on us." I tell him.

"I have no idea how I'm going to explain my hands but Christ that felt good." He laughs as he takes a right and then a left and heads to Ed's clinic.

"Yeah, it did." I agree. "Reckon we let him heal then go do it again." I laugh.

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><p><strong>AN: I am not actually very proud of this outtake. After consultation with some friends who've read it I've decided I don't like that Emmett and Jasper hit him and kick him while he's down. He might deserve it, but they are better than that. **

**I will revise and rewrite, at some point. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hope you like it.**

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><p>Outtake #2<p>

Police visit Charlie Swan at his office to issue the restraining order and, later the same day at this home to question him for the first time.

Police visit Jake to issue restraining order.

Both interviews are conducted AFTER the detectives have interviewed Bella in the hospital. They know her side of the story.

**Detective Ken Livingstone POV**

Carol and I are shown into Chief Swan's office to wait for him and I spend the few minutes looking around at his work space.

No photographs of his only child on the desk, no 'world's greatest dad' mugs on any surface. No pictures of his granddaughter, in fact no evidence that he's even anyone's dad at all. I've got a twenty one year old boy and I've still got his finger paintings from elementary school on my wall. They're faded and it's pretty well impossible to make out what they are now, but I love them all the same. Charlie Swan has nothing like that. What he does have is an open can of gun cleaning solution and a dirty rag. There's a half eaten turkey sandwich in a Styrofoam container from a local diner and an open can of Dr Pepper beside it.

The office is stark in the extreme for the Chief of Police. There is a map on the wall behind the desk of the area his jurisdiction encompasses and his certificate of service is framed and hanging on the opposite wall, but other than that the walls are the stock standard police issue beige.

The blotter on his desk is clean. Totally clear. No doodling, no notes, no hastily jotted down phone numbers. It's totally blank.

The keys hang neatly in a row to the side of the desk, each pin stuck in the wall has a neatly typed number above it and all the keys are there lined up.

There is a stack of files in the 'in' tray and two or three phone messages on a spike by the telephone. The trash can is empty and I'm left wondering whether the place has just been cleaned or whether this is standard detachment from the Chief.

He comes in, his uniform is rumpled and creased and he smells like body odour and stale food. "What can I do for you Ken?" He asks, completely ignoring Carol even though she's sitting in the chair closest to him and I'm further away.

The things I've learned about the man over the past couple of days have no endeared me to him, but I'm a cop and so is he, so I afford him as much respect as I can without compromising my position or his.

"Unfortunately we come bearing bad news about your daughter and granddaughter Charlie." I tell him evenly. He doesn't bat an eyelid. He either knew we were coming already or he genuinely didn't give a shit about the two girls. Which I suspect is the truth, going by what the Cullen's have to say about his behaviour at the hospital and since.

Carol steps in. "You're aware your daughter is in the hospital?" She asks and he nods. "And you're aware of the nature of her injuries?"

"I know she's got some broken ribs and some bruises on her face." He says nonchalantly.

I take my notepad out and read from it. "Ribs seven through ten, broken. A fracture to her cheek bone that might cause her to lose the sight in that eye. Her right earlobe is torn, it required a dozen stitches. She's got loose teeth and a cut right through her lip and cheek. Her doctor is concerned she may suffer permanent nerve damage to her lip and jaw. Her scalp had to be stapled back together. She's got stitches in a cut on the top of one shoulder, two toes and the bones in the top of her foot have been crushed. She's got two broken fingers on her right hand, her right nipple had to be surgically repaired and she's suffered a perineal tear consistent with severe sexual abuse. She has a dozen cigarette burns on her inner thighs and she's severely under weight. Those are her physical injuries. Her mental ones are yet to be catalogued." I tell him.

He shows no outward emotion at all. He doesn't shift in his seat. He doesn't move his hands from where they rest on his belt buckle. His eyes don't shift from my face and his breathing is as even as it was when he first came into the room.

"I see." He says.

Carol sighs. "Would you care to make comment?" She asks him.

"I don't see how I can. I don't pretend to know what goes on in my daughter's life." He says flatly.

"Do you have any idea how she could've sustained these injuries?" I ask, pen poised for his answer.

"No." He says just as flatly.

"An allegation has been made that your son in law, Jacob William Black, has been abusing your daughter." I tell him and again wait for a reaction that doesn't come.

"Has there?" he asks.

I can see we'll get nowhere with this so I do what I've been sent to do. I stand from my chair and take out of my jacket pocket the restraining order. I put it down firmly, right in the centre of his desk. "It is my duty as an officer of the State of Washington to inform you that a judge, in accordance with Domestic Violence laws, has granted a temporary restraining order against you. You are not permitted within two hundred yards of your daughter, or her child, you are hereby served."

Carol stands then. "Your deputy has told us your shift finishes at six. We'll be at your house at half passed to take your statement. I suggest you seek some legal advice." She tells him.

I don't know what reaction she was expecting, but I thought he'd at least be angry at being accused. He didn't say a word or show any outward sign that he'd even heard us.

But we'd done our job. We'd served him and informed him we'd be coming to question him. The ball was in his court now.

**Jacob Blacks Real Estate Office, Forks Washington. Same day, an hour later.**

**Detective Ken Livingstone POV**

Jake Blacks office has been decorated by the same minimalist designer as Charlie Swans I think as I sink into the chair opposite the empty desk.

The blotter is just as clean, the rubbish can perfectly empty. His real estate license is framed on the wall but other than that they are unadorned.

Again, no photographs on his desk, no outward sign that he has a wife or a child. A perfectly pressed suit jacket hangs on a coat rack by the door and a shiny black leather briefcase stands under it on the floor. Apart from the telephone handset the desk is virtually clear. The 'in' tray is empty and there are only a few handwritten notes in the 'out' tray.

"Ken and Carol is it?" A very tall native man says as he comes into the office, hand outstretched. "What can I do for you today? Seen something you like?" He asks.

I shake it and so does Carol before we sit. "Ah, Mr Black we are actually Detective Ken Livingstone and Detective Carol Hardwick of the Port Angeles Police Department." I say. I flip open my ID badge and so does Carol.

Unlike his father in law this time I get a normal reaction. He startles, grips the edge of his desk and his eyes dart back and forth between us. I get my first good look at him and notice the bruising around his lips, eyes and nose. He's been beaten, badly beaten. It's been a few days, maybe a week, but the telltale signs are still there.

"This is about my wife, right?" He asks. I can see that he's fighting for control of his emotions and I immediately know that this interview will go a lot further than Charlie Swans did. This kid hasn't had twenty years of experience making statements to keep him out of trouble.

Carol takes out her notepad. "It is my duty to inform you that a complaint has been made against you Mr Black. We are here to investigate that complaint." She tells the now sweating man.

I take a thick envelope out of my jacket pocket and put it in the centre of his desk, just as I'd done with Charlie. "It is my duty as an officer of the State of Washington to inform you that a judge, in accordance with Domestic Violence laws, has granted a temporary restraining order against you. You are not permitted within two hundred yards of your daughter, or her child, you are hereby served." I tell him and sit back down in my chair. "A hearing date has been set for the twelfth of this month. You should attend with your lawyer."

If we have any hope of convicting this piece of shit we have to do our jobs carefully. Carol knows this as well as I do. Charlie Swan is a totally different kettle of fish, he's going to be far cleverer than this kid is, but we still need to do things the right way.

"Mr Black we intend to ask you some questions about your wife. You can speak with us now or we can wait until you have your lawyer present." Carol informs him.

At the mention of lawyer the kid gulps hard. He picks up the envelope and slides his finger under the stuck down edge. He takes out the sheet inside and reads it. "She says I beat her?" He asks. He tried real hard to make his face and voice look and sound innocent, but his panic was evident.

"No, she hasn't said that." Carol says truthfully. That the poor girl was still heavily sedated, and quite unable to speak for herself, was the real shame in all this.

We have no intention of disclosing the nature of the complaint, or who made it. We don't have to either. He is welcome to be present at the hearing and find out for himself, or his lawyer can contact the clerk of the court and find out. But for now it's better for us that he doesn't know.

"Do you wish to speak with us today Mr Black?" Carol asks calmly.

"Sure." He says. I can see the panic in his eyes. He's worried, like every other scumbag I've interviewed, that if he says he wants a lawyer we'll automatically assume his guilt. "What do you want to know?" He asks and sits back in his chair.

He thinks he looks casual as he links his hands behind his head.

"Where is the minor child, Elizabeth Smith, at present?" I read from my notepad.

He drops his hands immediately. He wasn't expecting that. "Um, I think she's staying with some family friends of Bella's."

"I see." I say and write that down in my pad. "When was the last time you saw your wife?" I ask.

"Um, the morning of the twentieth, before I came to work. She was fine." He tells me.

I write that down too. "And the child? When was the last time you saw her?"

"The night before. She's always asleep when I leave of a morning." He says confidently.

"Did you have any contact with your wife during that day? By telephone, text message, email maybe?" Carol asks.

"No. We don't have a computer at home." He says matter of factly.

I write and he watches me do it. "When you returned home from work that day, it was a Friday by my notes, and neither of them were in your home, what did you do then?" I ask.

He thinks for a second. "Oh, well I assumed they were out." He shrugs.

Carol steps in, as she knows she's supposed to. We'd rehearsed this very carefully before coming here. "And Mrs Black and your daughter are often out of an early evening when you return home, are they?" She asks, pen poised for his answer.

The kid visibly pales. "Oh, well, sometimes, I guess." He stumbles over the words.

Carol is ready for him. "Mr Black, are you aware that upon questioning the neighbours either side of your apartment at, 421 Camas Street, were unaware that you had a wife and child?" She tips her head to the side while she asks, just like she's supposed to.

It does what it's supposed to, too. He's unnerved to find out that we've questioned his neighbours and he can't work out what it is that Carol already knows, and what she wants to know now. "We keep to ourselves." He stammers.

I nod. "A lot of couples do." I nod again. I don't want him to shut down, I want him to keep answering, so I try to show him that I'm not accusing him of anything, just trying to work out what happened. "You are only recently married, right? Last July?" I ask.

"Yeah, thirtieth." He says.

"And your daughter was born on March sixteenth?" I ask again.

He sighs and I know what he's thinking before he decides to say it. "My wife was already pregnant before we married." He huffs. "I don't know who it's father is, so don't ask." He sneers.

I balk at the use of the term 'it' to describe the baby but try not to let it show. "You admit you are not the biological father of Elizabeth Smith?" Carol asks.

"That's right." He says.

"And it is your statement that you do not know who the child's father is?" She asks.

"That's right." He says again.

"Were you aware that your wife was pregnant when you married her?" I ask, knowing full well that he didn't.

"Of course I didn't. I wouldn't have married the bitch if I did." He says, then covers his mouth with his hand when he realises he's just lost his temper in front of two cops. "Sorry, I'm just upset." He turns fake sad eyes to Carol. "I loved her." He shrugs.

"Past tense Mr Black? You no longer love your wife?" Carol asks casually.

"That's my business." He snaps. And quite rightly. It was worth a try though.

"Mr Black are you aware of your wife's current whereabouts?" I ask.

It finally dawns on him that he's not asked where she is. Of course I know he knows she's in the hospital. I have the report from the security guard that saw him off, and statements from half a dozen others, including Edward and Carlisle Cullen, who put him at the hospital at least once since her admission. Some of the statements say twice, others, like the one from the triage nurse, say he's been often, one nurse says he's shown up daily since her admission. According to her he tends to hang around in emergency until he sees Mr or Mrs Cullen senior come or go with the baby. After that he just leaves. The restraining order will put paid to that habit.

"I haven't seen her since the twentieth." He mumbles.

I write, Carol smiles. "Let me ask that again Mr Black. You think carefully about your answer. Are you aware of your wife's current whereabouts?" She asks calmly.

He knows he's fucked now. He sighs and scrubs at the back of his neck with his hand. "She's in Forks General Hospital." He mumbles.

"Yes she is." I agree. "And you know this how?" I ask.

"Because I went to see her." He mumbles again.

"Much better." Carol tells him. "So, while we're all being honest here let's talk about what we know versus what we don't know." She says. "For instance, we know that your wife is severely under weight. What we don't know is why."

She doesn't pose it as a question and the kid seems to think on it before answering. "She's been sick lately."

"I see." She notes his answer and I internally high five myself for knowing that he'd walk headlong into the trap we've set. "There are no records to show that she's had any medical treatment recently, prior to her admission a week ago that is, and there is no record of her having a prescription filled in Forks or Port Angeles or anywhere else."

Again it's not posed as a question and Jake takes his time before answering. "I don't know if she has a prescription, she just told me she was sick." He says carefully.

Another high five for me. "So you were made aware of the fact that she was ill, but you did nothing about it?" I ask just as carefully.

"Oh, well, no, I mean, um, yeah, I mean when she told me she wasn't well I told her she could go to the doctor, but I don't know if she did or not." He stammers.

"So you gave her your permission to go to the doctor?" Carol asks.

"Yeah, of course I did." He shouts like the suggestion that he'd deny her that is horrible. He has no idea that's he's just shopped himself even further.

"I see. Without your permission is your wife able to take herself to the doctor if she believes she needs one?" Carol asks.

It's a loaded question and he knows it. If he says she's allowed we'll ask why she didn't go, if he says she's not allowed we'll ask why. He's fucked and he knows it. "Look. She told me she was sick. I told her to go, if she didn't it's not my fault." He says bitterly.

He's getting defensive now so I try to calm the situation down by asking a few innocuous questions. "Just for our records can you confirm the make and model of your vehicle Mr Black." He tells me about the piece of shit Subaru he's getting around in and I pretend to note it. "And it's registered to just you, not Mrs Black?" I ask and he confirms it's in his name only. "Does Mrs Black have a driver's license?" I ask.

"Yeah." He mutters.

"Does Mrs Black drive this vehicle at all Mr Black?" Carol asks.

"No, she doesn't." He says almost triumphantly.

"Do you have a car seat restraint bolt fitted in the vehicle?" she asks.

"No." He says firmly. He's slowly getting used to being trapped by us and I know that Carol is just as aware as I am that this interview is about to come to a screaming halt.

"How would Mrs Black take herself to the doctor if she hasn't driven your vehicle and it has no restraint bolt for the baby's car seat?" Carol asks.

"The bus." He mumbles. "She'd ride the bus."

"Have you ever dialled 911 from your home phone Mr Black?" I ask, seemingly out of the blue.

He thinks on it. "I don't think so, no."

"At two pm on May twenty a 911 call was made from your home telephone Mr Black. The caller stated that a lone adult female had been hurt and was alone in the apartment. An ambulance was dispatched and your wife was admitted to Forks General Hospital soon after. Were you aware that your wife had suffered some serious injuries prior to her admission to hospital that day Mr Black?" I ask.

The implication is clear. If he knew she was injured he was done for failing to render assistance, at the very least. If he says he didn't know he's got to come up with an alibi for the days prior, and he's already told us that he saw her the morning of the day of admission. He's fucked and he knows it.

"I think I need to speak to my lawyer now." He mumbles.

"I think that's very wise Mr Black." Says Carol, getting to her feet. "We'll be in touch." She smirks.

**6. 30 pm - the home of Chief of Police, Charlie Swan. **

**Detective Ken Livingstone POV**

The door was answered by Charlie Swan in a faded pair of jeans and a plaid button down. His hair was wet from the shower and he had absolutely no intention of having us over the threshold of his home. If his body language didn't tell us that his opening words did.

"I've got nothing to say to you." He thrust a business card at me. "That's my lawyer, call him."

With that he slammed the door and I heard the lock click.

"Well then, let's go and talk to Mr Graham." I tell Carol and turn the card over for his number.

We get back into our cruiser and I dial the number on the card. Its six thirty in the evening and I expect to get a message service, but a man answers.

"This is Detective Ken Livingstone speaking, I'd like to talk to Colin Graham." I tell the man.

"You've got him." He says sourly.

"I'd like to make a time to meet with you to discuss Charlie Swan's statement." I tell him.

"Come by now, I have it." He says matter of factly.

I flip the card over and see his address is just in the main street of Forks. "I'll be by in ten." I tell him and hang up. "He's in the main street and he's expecting us. He's taken Charlie's statement for us." I tell Carol as she starts the cruiser.

"This should be fascinating." She chuckles.

Fifteen minutes later we're both sitting in a booth at Pacific Pizza. I've got the second page of the statement in my hand, Carol has the first seeing as I'm done with the impressive work of fiction.

Every now and then Carol mutters 'son of a bitch' or 'piece of shit' but I keep quiet. She's saying it for us both.

So far Charlie has enlightened us to his daughters alleged drug abuse issues, her tendencies towards lying, making up false accusations, hurting herself to make it look like someone else has done it and 'vague threats to take her father down'.

His statement says that he wasn't aware she was pregnant before she married her childhood sweetheart Jacob Black, but once he was made aware of the fact he was vaguely aware that his new son in law was having some problems 'conducting their relationship in an adult manner because of Bella's tendency to lie, cheat and steal' from him.

There are references to instances where Bella has made simple misunderstandings seem to be sinister acts of spousal neglect and other instances where illness and injury have been made to look worse than they really are in order to get him, and now her husband, into trouble.

The bottom of the statement says he does not intend to contest the restraining order at the hearing date and that he has no intention of having anything to do with, or go near, his daughter or her child. He specifically does not call the baby his granddaughter. She is only referred to as Bella's child.

I hand it to Carol and reread the first page. Almost everything in it is lies and I know that even though I've only seen half the evidence available to us. There are boxes of papers and reports waiting for us in our office at the station and we've not had time to get to it all and I'm already convinced that every single word Bella Black uttered was the absolute truth.

These two fuckers, and that's what they were now, no longer was one Chief Charlie Swan and the other Mr Jacob Black. Now they were fuckers. These two fuckers had abused this girl her whole life and I intended to make sure they paid for it.

"We gotta get these two." Carol says bluntly when she's finished reading the statement. "You don't believe any of this bullshit do you?" She asks me.

"Some of it." I tell her and sip my coffee. "I believe his name really is Charles Andrew Swan and I believe he won't contest at the hearing, the rest is pure fabrication. All we gotta do is prove it." I tell her.

She's smirking over the top of her cup. "Shouldn't be too hard boss. The kid is an idiot and can't lie straight and the father is a rogue cop who's running scared." She sniggers.

"And we've got boxes of proof back in town. Let's eat quick, I want these fuckers to go down for this fast." I tell her and wave for the waitress.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hope you like it. **

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><p>Outtake #3<p>

**Bella visits Edward at the clinic. Elizabeth is one month old and Bella is sick with infection. This is not their first meeting since Bella married Jake. She's been to the clinic a few times before, during her pregnancy, but she did not see Edward for her examinations, only the OBGYN Steve Glover, and her contact with Edward was social and limited at best. **

**They've spoken only a handful of times, in the waiting room, in the corridor, as she was leaving. It's obvious to Edward that she wants to talk to him, but she was scared to on those occasions, so the interactions are brief and not at all personal. **

**During this visit, however, Bella is there to see Edward specifically. She's very sick and terrified. This sets the ball in motion that ultimately leads to Jake beating her prior to Esme finding her. **

**EPOV**

I look down my patient list and wonder if I've made the right choice, again. Nobody under the age of sixty for me to treat today, again. In itself that's nothing to snigger at, the older people in the community are often the ones who can't afford health care, so they make up the bulk of the patient list of any clinic of this type, but I do sometimes wonder if I'd be more challenged elsewhere.

'A challenge isn't everything Edward', Milo would tell me if I voiced my concerns to him. He'd tell me that this clinic had serviced the community of Forks for fifteen years and that it would only continue if doctors like me agreed to give up the glamour of emergency rooms and plastic surgery practises in favour of good old fashioned family doctoring. I agreed, in principle, but when you'd treated your fourth instance of gout in one day I sometimes began to second guess the wisdom of giving up cardiology.

I shoved the last of my sandwich into my mouth and was about to go back out to the reception area to call for my next patient when the handset on the desk began to chirp.

"What is it Gail?" I ask of the receptionist.

"I have a Bella Black here to see you, she doesn't have an appointment, what would you like me to do?" She asks.

"Don't let her leave." I shout into the handset and run out to reception.

I spot her straight off. She's sick. I can see it on her face and in her eyes. She has the baby with her and I'm relieved to see them both. I knew she'd given birth but nobody had seen or heard from her since her discharge from the maternity ward at Forks General a month ago. No checkups, no exams, no post natal consultations for the baby. I didn't even know what she'd called her! That she was a girl was all I knew and that I'd found out by accident. A nurse at the hospital had told a friend of a friend who happened to mention that they'd bought a house off Jake Black recently and the paperwork had taken longer than normal. The lag had been blamed on the fact that he'd just become a father to a little girl.

It had torn my heart out to think of Bella having his baby. At first I hoped it would dampen what I felt for her because I knew it wasn't rational to still want her once she'd married someone else. I knew it was creepy and stalkerish to still harbour the hope that she'd one day feel for me what I felt for her. My brain knew I'd missed my chance years go, but my heart never gave up hope. However futile that hope may be.

I take a deep breath and cross the waiting room floor. I stand right before her and smile. "Bella," I whisper so the other patients don't hear. "Come on through."

I stand aside and use my hand to show her where I need her to go and once she has headed in the direction of my office I hold the door and wait for her and the baby to go inside. The baby is gorgeous. Dark hair, dark eyes and she looks exactly like Bella. I ask Bella to have a seat and when she declines I begin to worry. I can see that she's sick. She's pale and drawn. She's far too thin and she looks tired and I wouldn't mind betting she's running a fever too. She's shaking as though she's scared of me. I try to limit my movements so she doesn't startle.

I nod towards the chair again but she shakes her head and shifts to her other foot. If she doesn't want to sit down what could she be here for?

"What did you call her?" I ask, nodding to the baby in her arms.

Bella tightens her arms around the squirming infant defensively and I balk. It was a regular question, I thought.

"Elizabeth," Bella says quietly, "Her name is Elizabeth."

I smile up at her. I'm sitting in my office chair and wondering what the hell the problem is with her not sitting in the chair opposite me. "She's beautiful, congratulations," I tell her. "Are you well Bella?" I ask carefully. She shakes her head sadly. "Can I take your temperature?" I ask hesitantly.

I don't know what the problem is and I can't work out why she is so defensive and so frightened looking, but I know that she's sick and that's why she's come here today.

"Alright," she says carefully.

I take the temperature probe off the desk and slide a disposable cover over the ear piece. "This just goes in your ear," I tell her as I stand. I notice her cringe away a tiny bit as I lift her hair to put the probe near her ear. I can see the bruising more clearly now that I'm closer to her. Along her jaw line, under the left eye and down the back of her neck from under her ear to the top of her shoulder. It's a week or more old and it's pretty faded, but I see it. I let the probe rest at the entrance to her ear for a few seconds and when it beeps I withdraw it and move away from her again. She steadies and seems to relax once I'm sitting in my chair again. The probe tells me her temperature is a hundred and two, way too high. "It's very high. How long have you had the fever?" I ask.

"A couple of days," she tells me, but I know its bullshit from the way she can't meet my eyes when she says it.

"What other symptoms do you have?" I ask, pen poised on the pad in front of me. I don't have her file because she's technically a walk in, but I'll add the page to her notes later. I run through the standard list of questions, do you have a cough, do you have a sore throat, do you have a runny nose, headache, fatigue dizziness. She tells me yes to a few, no to others. It's not the flu, she's been beaten recently and she's got some type of infection but no open wound that I can see. "Can you tell me what's happened to you, please? I'd like to help." I whisper as non-confrontationally as I can.

"Nothing happened to me, I've got the flu," she mumbles as she shifts from foot to foot.

Again I know its lies, but there is nothing I can do if she won't tell me what's going on. "You can trust me Bella. You've known me nearly all your life, there's nothing you can't tell me," I assure her. "Please sit down," I beg her. "Nothing you tell me in here can go any further, as your doctor I can't tell anyone what you tell me, but I'd like to help, if I can."

I'm on my feet before her first tear slides down her cheek. I want to hold her. I want to pull her to me and tell her that everything will be alright. I want to promise her the world. But she's not mine and she never was.

She swipes at the tear on her cheek and moves toward the chair at the side of my desk. I watch carefully as she sits very gingerly on the edge of it. She doesn't slide back and rest her shoulders against it; she just perches very carefully on the edge. She rests Elizabeth on her thighs and stretches the arm out that had been holding her. "I'm sorry, I'm being stupid," she mumbles and swipes at her tears again.

If it wasn't for the bruising and the temperature I'd assume this was post natal depression, but it's more than that. So much more. She's been physically hurt and she's got injuries, some I can see, and some I can't. I know it. "Nothing is stupid if it makes you cry," I tell her. I sit back down in my chair but this time I scoot it closer to where she is. I lean forward so we're closer. "Please let me help you."

She stares at me a long time before she speaks. When she does it's in a whisper. "I haven't healed after having Elizabeth," she winces. "I've got an infection."

I figured as much. "I know better than to ask to examine you, but you should think about making an appointment with our OBGYN. I know you know Steve, he's a good doctor Bella, and he won't hurt you," I say softly. I don't know her story but I can guess that she's afraid of guys. I see it in the way she reacts to each movement I make. "I can treat your symptoms but you should go and see him to find out why you haven't healed," I tell her.

I watch her reaction and it's as I expected it to be. She cringes when I tell her she needs to be examined and then she shakes her head at the mention of making an appointment. Someone, a man, is hurting her.

I write a prescription for a broad spectrum antibiotic and hand it to her. "Make sure you take them all," I advise and she nods. "Take aspirin or paracetamol for the headache and the aches and pains and drink plenty of fluids over the next few days," I tell her. "I'd like to help you Bella. I see your bruises. If someone is hurting you I'd like to help."

She cringes away from me and is on her feet fast. The baby squeaks a little as Bella pulls her up abruptly, but she's soon settled in her mother's arms again. "There is nothing you can do for me Edward. Thank you for the prescription," she mumbles and heads towards the door.

I hold it shut a moment longer, my hand on the knob. She's right there, closer than she's ever been before. Right in front of me. The love of my existence is right there and she's hurting and there's fuck all I can do about it if she refuses to confide in me. I can't just let her leave, I'll never see her again if I do nothing. I realise it's now or never and take a deep breath. "Before you go I have to tell you, I can't let you leave without you knowing. Bella, I've loved you since I was fifteen years old. I know you're married and it's wrong of me to say anything, but..."

I can't finish the sentence because I don't know how it ends and she's crying again. I reach for her and while she doesn't exactly cringe or pull away she doesn't leap into my arms either. Of course she's holding a four week old baby, and I don't know what kind of reaction I expected from her, but sobbing kinda wasn't it.

I put one hand on her shoulder, the other under the baby, holding her hand. Her whole body is far too hot and far too thin. I guide her back to the chair and help her to sit down. I take the baby from her and cradle her in the crook of my arm.

"Has she had her one month check up?" I ask and Bella shakes her head. "Alright, let's do that first, put your mind at ease about that at least," I tell her and take the baby to my seat. I dial Steve's number and ask him to please come to my office. We sit in silence for a few minutes while we wait for him. Bella wipes at her eyes over and over but can't stem the flow of her tears. I just sit quietly and watch the baby as she squirms in my lap. She's very beautiful, very alert. When Steve arrives I introduce him to Bella and he tells me that they've already met.

I ask him if he wouldn't mind giving Elizabeth the once over and he quickly says he'd love to.

He takes Elizabeth from me and both Bella and I go with him to the examination table that's up against the wall in my office. Steve unwraps Elizabeth and tests all her reflexes. He feels along her spine, around her head. He shines his light in her eyes and tests her responses to noise, cold and a tickle to the soles of her feet. He announces her perfectly healthy, other than a weight check, and I tell him that I'll do it and note the outcome in Bella's notes. I think he knows something is wrong so he's efficient without prying. He wishes Bella well and reminds her that she should come for her own check up when she gets time. She nods but I know, and I think Steve does too, that Bella has no intention of making that appointment.

I take Elizabeth from him as he leaves and Bella springs to her feet and takes the baby from me. I decide I need to get tough now, she doesn't need me to be her friend right now, she needs me to be her doctor.

"Please, sit down and tell me what's going on with you," I tell her.

She turns her huge brown eyes to me and thankfully I see her resolve falter minutely. She walks back to the seat and I watch as she once again lowers herself very carefully onto the edge of the chair. I want to ask why but I know she won't tell me, so I leave it alone. I try to remember to fight the battles I can win.

"I've got the flu," Bella continues with the same line of bullshit she fed me before and I can't help but chuckle.

"I have six years of medical school that tell me that you don't get bruises like yours from the flu Bella." I turn to face her and reach for her hand. She pulls hers away but I'm not giving up that easily. I use my feet to push my chair closer to hers and when we're knee to knee I reach for her hand again. I don't give her much choice as I pull hers into my lap. Elizabeth is between us, on Bella's lap. I use my free hand to put a finger under her chin and lift Bella's face so I can see her eyes. "I meant what I said Bella. I care about you, I want to help if I can. I know you're married and I've left it too late to tell you what I did just now, but you have to know that there are people who care about you and we're here to help."

I watch the tears stream down her cheeks and my gut clenches for whatever it is she's dealing with. But I can see she has no intention of confiding in me. I don't really blame her. I was a pussy when we were growing up and I never once told her how I felt. Hell, I did my best to avoid her in the end. I told myself it was self preservation, but what it really was was fear. It's my own stupid fault that she's married to someone else. It's my own stupid fault that she didn't ever know I existed and it's my own stupid fault that I know nothing about her life now. Even if she never felt for me what I feel for her we could've at least have been friends. But I was too shy and she was far too good for me.

"You can't help me," she sobs and pulls her hand from mine. "Nobody can help me. I have Elizabeth now."

"What does that mean?" I beg. "So you have Elizabeth now, if someone is hurting you that's all the more reason to do something about it, to tell someone, to let me help you."

She's shaking her head violently then. "No," she shouts. "It's too late. You're too late."

I've got her by the shoulders then. "It's never too late Bella. It's never too late to ask for help."

"No, you don't understand. It's too late for you and me. I'm married," she shouts and pushes me away so she can stand. When she's on her feet she turns on me. "I've got Elizabeth, I've made my bed, and I have to lie in it. It doesn't matter that I love you too, I married him and I have Elizabeth. It's too late for what I want."

She leaves then. Leaves me standing in the middle of my office with my mouth agape. She loves me too.

I scrub the back of my neck with my hand and try and calm myself down before I follow her out. There is no way I'm letting her walk away after a statement like that, but I'm smart enough to know that if I play the heavy and try to insist she comes back she'll run and I'll never see her again.

I count to ten then walk as casually as I can out of my office and through reception. I don't bother telling Gail what's going on, she'll deal. Bella isn't too far ahead of me as I go through the automatic doors in reception and out into the parking lot. She can't walk too fast with whatever injuries she's got, so I catch up to her pretty quickly. I try my best not to startle her as I pull alongside. I match my stride to hers and stay silent.

"I'm trouble," she whispers as we walk up the sidewalk. "Knowing me will ruin your life."

"Bullshit, knowing you is the best thing to ever happen to me," I tell her and slow a little more, hoping she will too.

She does. We are barely moving forward now, just ambling along out of habit and because neither of us know what to do or say. She comes to a stop at the back of the bus shelter and shifts Elizabeth from one arm to the other. She's sick and she's weak and the baby is a dead weight. I reach for her and Bella looks up at me with wide eyes. Eventually, after a few seconds contemplation, she puts Elizabeth into my arms.

Bella flexes her arm and leans against the shelter. "My bus will be along in a minute," she whispers.

"Then I'll wait with you," I tell her.

She's staring down at her feet and rubbing her right elbow with her left hand. It's a nervous action. "You can't help me," she whispers.

"Maybe not, but maybe I know someone who can. But if I don't know what the problem is nobody can help you," I tell her defiantly.

She looks up at me through her lashes, she's stunningly beautiful. More womanly now, of course, but she's still the same gorgeous Bella I know. "Did you mean it?" she asks.

I know what she's talking about. I'm embarrassed for having said it, but it was the truth and I recognise this might be my one and only shot at this conversation. Once that bus comes I might never see her again. I shift Elizabeth to the crook of my left arm and reach for Bella's hand with my right. I hold it softly and rub my thumb across the back of it. "I meant every word, baby," I whisper. "I was just too shy, or too stupid, or both, to tell you before. Bella, I've loved you my whole life, you're it for me. I know you're married and it's wrong of me to say this to you, but while I've got this chance I'll use it. I love you. I want to help you, if I can. I love you."

Her tears are falling and landing on our clasped hands. She's trembling and sniffing and I want to pull her to me. I tug her hand gently and she pulls away from the bus shelter a little. It's hard to manoeuvre into the right position because I have Elizabeth in my arm, but I try hard to bring Bella to my side so I can hold her. I tuck her under my arm, her on my right, the baby on my left. It's strangely wonderful. Like they were meant to be right there, with me, like that. I feel complete for the first time, well, ever. I try not to startle too much when Bella puts her hand across my body and rests it on my waist, under where I'm holding Elizabeth.

"It's too late for me, but I love you too, Edward," she whispers, making my heart jump.

I open my mouth to say it's never too late when the fucking bus pulls up. Two little old ladies take their time getting down from it but it's enough time for Bella to reef Elizabeth from my arms. She doesn't return her eyes to mine or say another word. She just gets onto the bus.

I stand on the sidewalk and watch it drive away from me.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This is for you Cousin Kaos...as requested :)**

**And just remember, we've both touched the magnificence that is Edward/Robert (my issue separating the two has only been strengthened due to having met the man in the flesh, you'll deal though, right?) so we don't have to wonder what his skin feels like, what he smells like and what his voice sounds like, because we know. Swoon...Hope you like it Ms Kaos :)**

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><p><strong>Outtake #4<strong>

**Bella is at aqua therapy, Rosalie and the physical therapy assistant Kelly decide to call for Edward to try to get Bella into the pool.**

**Kelly POV**

This just wasn't going to work.

Nothing I did or said would get Bella into the pool.

In fact, not only would she not go near the water, she wouldn't remove her clothing and put on the suit that had been brought for her to wear.

Aqua therapy usually included at the very least the aqua! Bella had so far refused all assistance, all encouragement and resisted any attempts made to convince her that she needed this. No amount of encouragement or force was going to change her mind. She'd set herself to resist every offer, nothing I could do or say was going to have any effect on that.

I eventually resort to telling her she could enter the water as she was, in sweats and a jersey, but it was all to no avail. I told her that nobody would blink an eyelid at her attire but she just wouldn't budge.

Rosalie Cullen had tried every form of encouragement, coercion, bribery and had even resorted to some fairly soft name calling, but nothing was working.

I stepped out of the situation to make contact with Kerry, to ask her advice, but other than being told to be gentle she had nothing to offer that we hadn't already tried. She agreed that Bella needed to do this, but had no safe and easy way to ensure it got done.

I was convinced, as was Sandra, that being weightless would help her immensely, but Bella just wasn't having it.

I asked Bella if she'd rather do the session with Sandra, but no. Did she want Esme? No. Was there someone else she'd be more comfortable with, but no.

After another brief consultation with Rosalie I learned that it had taken a considerable amount of prodding to get Bella dressed and into the wheelchair for the walk through the hospital even to get to the point where she was now in the pools vicinity. She'd been silent and belligerent since arriving and was now refusing to even discuss her 'issues' with either of us.

"You have the run of the place Bella. I can lock the doors if that makes you feel better?" I got down on my knees in front of the wheelchair to try to engage her more personally.

"You'll still see them," she whispers in a panicked voice.

I look to Rosalie for an explanation but she's shaking her head. She doesn't know what that means either. I have to assume she means her scars.

I turn back to Bella. "Nobody will be looking at you. There's nobody here to see you, or judge you. I've seen just about all there is to see, I promise," I chuckle. "There's nothing about your body that I haven't seen before on someone else."

Bella just shuts down. She shakes her head firmly from side to side but refuses any further attempts at discussion. I remind her that both Rosalie and I are here only to help her. That she needed to be weightless so that she can use the muscles that ache when she's on her feet normally, but all my reasoning falls on deaf ears.

I start to get a bit pissy, a bit frustrated and I'm about ready to give it all up as a bad joke and leave it for Sandra to sort out when Rosalie nods for me to follow her and we step aside a little.

"Call Edward. Get him here. As a last resort," she cringes.

I huff lightly and think about the idea. "I know from Kerry that she has to do these things on her own, I don't want to set back her therapy by calling in Edward," I admit. "It kinda defeats the purpose if she can't, or won't do what she's supposed to without Edward to insist."

"Look, if you are being truthful and you all agree that she needs to be weightless then you've got to decide how you want that to happen. If it's what's best for her does it really matter that he's the one to get her into the water if it's what she needs?"

I sigh. It's a good counter argument and I'm out of return fire. "Fine. I'll call him." I take out my cell phone and walk out into the little foyer of the swimming centre. I dial the clinic and ask for Doctor Cullen. A few seconds later he answers. "Edward its Kelly from Forks General. I've got Bella in the pool house but she's refusing to get into the water. Rosalie is with her, but she just won't listen to us. We were wondering if you'd come down, help us to get her moving?" I asked sceptically.

"I can't promise anything, but I'm on my way," he tells me without the slightest hesitation. I hadn't ever met the infamous man, but from all accounts he seemed eager to help her and didn't sound too pissed off at having to come from his clinic to do it.

In my experience doctors just aren't like that. If a patient is noncompliant they usually just pass them off to the shrinks and let them deal with them until they are ready to resume their treatment. In Edward's defence he was dating her, practically engaged to Bella if you listened to the gossip mill, so this wasn't a simple patient slash doctor relationship. I liked Bella, she was a nice girl and from the little contact I'd had with her so far I could see that she seemed eager to get her therapy done so she could go home and restart her life, but that was a very different Bella from the one I was seeing today.

I close my phone and give Rosalie a thumbs up on my way back to Bella so she'll know the plan has been agreed to. There is no point telling Bella he's coming, she'll either panic or flee, neither is a good idea for her, so we'll just keep trying to convince her while we wait for him.

I wheel her to the bottom of the ramp and kneel beside her. Rose sits on her haunches off to the other side and talks quietly to her about how good it'll feel to be in the warm water. We both reassure her that the pool is heated, that nobody will see her, that she'll feel better once she's been in. But she's just shut down.

I could almost sympathise with it, if I was being honest. She's had a hell of a time. Her notes don't say what happened, they only outline the injuries she presented with, but only a real idiot couldn't see that she'd been tormented, beaten and probably abused pretty extensively. I had no personal experience with physical abuse, and luckily so. I'd had my fair share of asshole boyfriends in my time, and one real bastard of a husband too. But he'd never lifted his hand to me and I'd been smart enough to leave and get a divorce long before he resorted to that. So while I could help her with her physical recovery I had no real point of reference with which to draw on to help her emotionally. That's why I was a physical therapist and not a psychiatrist. Physical injuries I knew how to help with, the brain was far too complicated a creature for me.

I listen and watch Rosalie with a quiet awe. From the quick conversation I had with her before this session began I know that she doesn't know Bella very well, that Edward was her brother in law and that he'd been in love with Bella all their lives but that it was only just recently that they'd come to be together. I learned that Rose had volunteered to help Bella today hoping she could get a little closer to the girl before she was discharged into the care of the Cullen's. She wanted to understand a little more about how Bella thought, how she was dealing with her situation so she could better help her once she was free of the hospital. Rosalie seemed hard, almost cold when I first began talking with her, but after a few minutes, when Rose really warmed to her subject, I began to see the underlying concern she had for Bella. She mightn't be too keen to let others see it, but I did.

She whispers to Bella about how much better she'll feel once she'd experienced the warm water. She tries very hard to convince Bella to do this on her own, to not lean on Edward too much, to gain this slight mental victory on her own, but it all fell on deaf ears. I gave Rosie credit for trying though, I'd already given up.

When Edward arrives he's like a bronze demi-god the way he saunters down the ramp towards us. His reputation for being handsome has preceded him but even the idle gossip of a hundred nurses hasn't done him justice.

He's tall and muscular, without being muscle bound. He's strong jawed and walks with real purpose towards us. You can see the concern on his face the closer he comes to where we are sitting. His eyes are darting back and forth between the three of us, probably assessing the situation with a doctor's eye before he has to plunge headlong into the thick of the problem.

I didn't quite catch what Rose has just said to Bella but all of a sudden Bella has found her voice and is shouting that 'she doesn't care' at Rosie. I cringe and feel sorry for the blonde who really has nothing to gain from being here, but is doing her best for her future sister in law in any case.

I stand and wait for Edward to come a little closer before going to him and shaking his hand, a slight tingle travelling up my arm as I touch his skin. He's inhumanely beautiful, if a man should be thought of as beautiful at all. I'd say he was gorgeous but it seems childish to say so. Angelically beautiful would be more accurate. The concern on his face for Bella only makes him more attractive.

His grip is strong but not painful. He's trembling slightly as he lets my hand go. He puts the same hand I've just shaken into his hair and pushes it out of his eyes and back off his forehead. He lets out a soft breath over his lips and sighs in frustration and worry. He loves her. It's written all over his face and it's evident through his body language too. He's eager to get to her but its also obvious that he's waiting for my assessment first.

I tell him I can't sign off on her discharge until she's been through at least one session in the water and he sighs and says he understands then tells me he'll do his best.

He walks past me and I catch a whiff of his smell. It's spicy warm and delicious. I don't know if its cologne or aftershave or just Edward, but it doesn't matter. He smells as good as he looks. I start to wonder if it can all be true, that he's this handsome and smells this good _and_ is as sweet and as kind as I'm lead to believe he is. It shouldn't be fair that one person should be all those things all at once. Usually, in my experience, guys are either one or the other...but all three seemed just that little bit too good to be true. Maybe he sucked in bed? Was a selfish lover or had smelly feet? Perhaps he made a horrid noise in the back of his throat when he ate? I doubted it by the look of him as he strides to where Rosie and Bella are.

He gets onto his knees in front of Bella's wheelchair and listens intently as Rosie explains what Bella has been offered already. Rosie excuses herself and comes to stand with me while Edward deals with Bella.

"Watch, you won't have seen anything like these two before I'll bet," Rosie whispers to me as she comes to my side.

I don't quite understand what she means but it isn't long before I work it out. They are a team. Anyone who cared to look would see it. If she moved he moved. If she stilled he stilled. If she balked he prodded, if he withdrew she pulled him back in. It was like watching two drops of mercury move along a seesaw. If the surface of either droplet broke one would absorb the other they were that closely attuned.

Edward, on his knees on the pool deck, listens as Bella outlines why she doesn't want to get into the water. His face softens as she explains and I can see the utter devotion on his face as he tries to reason with her. She's crying by the time she's finished her explanation and he's only just holding his emotions in check as he watches her. He calls her baby and sweetheart and touches her lightly on her forearms, on her hands, on her face as he consoles her. It's beautiful to watch and Rosie is right. I've not seen anything like him, or her, for a long time. He really is all that he seems. A good man and a good doctor.

I watch with barely concealed envy as he takes her into his arms and comforts her. She says more to him in the ten seconds since he's arrived than she's said to us in an hour and I can totally understand why.

He's so fucking understanding, never pushy, just comforting and sympathetic. But never condescendingly so. When he suggests something it doesn't sound like he's the boss of her, it just sounds like he's trying to offer alternatives, so she can feel more comfortable. When she says she won't go in he doesn't get angry or cross he just tells her he understands and then gently coerces her to rethink why. He listens, really listens when she speaks and is calm and realistic when he replies to her. He gently encourages her, never bullying her, and she seems to respond even though she's still saying she won't get into the water. Her body language changes the longer they speak. She's no longer slumped in the chair; she's sitting straight and pressing herself closer to him as they discuss what the problem is. She's telling him we can't see her and I just don't get it. Kerry said she had issues, but thinking she is invisible wasn't in the brief.

Rose looks like a fish out of water as they hold onto one another for dear life. She's rocking on her heels and trying to look everywhere but where her brother in law is cuddling his girlfriend. I know how she feels, but probably for very different reasons. I'm feeling slightly awkward because of my jealousy, I'm sure she feels awkward because she is unable to help.

Edward puts his forehead to Bella's and they whisper back and forth for a few more minutes. They are in their own little world, completely isolated from everyone else. I doubted I'd be able to break into their bubble if I tried, Edward wouldn't notice me and Bella wouldn't take her attention from him. It was amazing.

Suddenly Edward draws back and a more fierce expression covers his normally serene countenance. "You want to come home with me right?" he asks Bella sternly.

I startle a little because it seems so out of character for him to be forceful with her. From what I've seen so far he's normally soft spoken and pretty calm, but this was worry and frustration in its purest form. I never had any doubt that he'd keep his temper in check, and from what I could see and hear he wasn't actually angry, just desperate to get her to help herself.

Bella nods in reply but Edward doesn't look like it's the type of answer he was looking for so with an even stronger voice he asks her again. This time Bella squares her shoulders and shouts right back at him that of course she wants to go home.

Its only seconds later that she's agreed to get into the water with him. He's done it. He's done what I couldn't achieve, what Rosalie couldn't make happen. I understand how he's done it too. Bella loves him. Adores him. Wants to please him. But more importantly she wants to be well enough to go home to him. She wants a life with him. It was the missing ingredient from our attempts. That desire to want a life with the one you love.

And then Bella finds her voice and she's screaming at Edward that the chlorinated water is going to sting her raw and exposed skin and I cringe right along with Rose as she cringes too. Neither of us had been too aware of what was going on under Bella's clothing. I was aware of her injuries of course, but I had no idea that she was missing layers of skin. I don't think Rose did either.

Rose is quicker off the mark than me and runs back up the ramp towards the locker room, hopefully to collect a jar of barrier cream. It's what I'd do, so I'll wait until she returns before suggesting it myself.

After a few more seconds Edward smiles and I feel my belly jiggle as I watch. Wow. What a smile. If someone smiled at me like that I'd stop breathing for sure!

He smacks a kiss onto her temple and grins at me over Bella's shoulder. We come to a deal and I agree that if Bella gets into the water and does a few simple exercises I'll sign her form. I make sure they understand that the ultimate decision is made by Sandra, but I tell them I'll do my best to mark her off today.

He says they'll take the deal at face value and I watch, probably with my tongue lolling out the side of my mouth, as he moves to the side and begins to shuck his clothing.

Dear god in heaven, the man is magnificent!

All clean lines and well defined abs. His shirt hits the deck and I nearly swoon. He's pale and I start to day dream about what he'd look like lying beside my pool at home working on his tan, but because he's so well defined the lack of colour doesn't detract from his inherent splendour. Even his feet are fucking perfect!

He toes off his shoes and loses his socks with practised ease. The sound of his belt being ripped from the loops of his jeans is like rapid fire gunshots to my addled brain as I watch his elegantly long fingers fling it to the ground. He takes his wallet from his back pocket and it too hits the little pile of debris on the pool deck. There is a slutty sixteen year old girl who lives inside my brain and she nudges me as I stare at his wallet lying on the ground. 'Is there a condom in there, do you think?' that sixteen year old asks. I bet there isn't. God has a plan for this man, there is no way he was created purely for women to look at. God made this one so he could procreate, reproduce, breed and continue the species that is his perfection.

I'm snapped out of my mental reverie by Rosie coming back, barrier cream in hand, and then the flurry of activity as we all get ready to get into the water with Bella.

Rose actually asks me if I'm alright at one point while I watch Edward slip below the surface of the water. I can feel the flush on my face and know that I'm being a tool, but I can't help it. I'm so turned on by this man I can't think straight. I want him to shove Bella aside and take me into his arms and have me. I want to hear him say that it's me he's been waiting all his life for, that Bella had been a mere diversion and he was now ready to commit to giving me pleasure for ever and a day.

I sit on the edge of the pool and hope that everyone else thinks it's because I'm giving Bella the space she needs to come to terms with the pain she's feeling. But in reality I'm just not able to move. My whole body is tingling with latent desire. I'm wearing my standard uniform of a plain black swimming suit and it's not altogether unattractive, just plain. I wish I was wearing a tiny black bikini and that Edward's look towards us just now wasn't silent permission to get into the pool with his girlfriend but rather a not very well hidden attempt to stare at my tits.

Alas, it's just his and Bella's permission so I get into the pool and get on with my job.

This isn't easy because he's only in the water up to his crotch and with the water having turned half his jeans to darker denim, leaving the 'good' bit pale blue, I have no idea how I'm going to conduct my job with any sincerity if I have to stare at the promised-land that is Edward Cullen's waterlogged nether regions.

Rosie catches me staring and slaps me on the arm, hard. I shake my head and blink rapidly to clear the fog from my brain.

I plunge beneath the water and resolve that when I come up I'll once again be all business.

The kickboard I'm holding brings me to the surface fast so I shake the water from my hair and face and steady myself for what I have to ask Bella to do.

I'll reward my good behaviour during the session with a perv on his hot body when he exits the water later and get on with the job at hand.


	5. Chapter 5

Outtake # 5

**This is an account of Jake's story, his reasoning for beating Bella, his thoughts on their marriage and why he found himself in Edward's office at the clinic this day. **

**Jake Black POV**

"I'm not fucking Bella!" Kim screamed through the bathroom door at me.

"Don't I fucking know it!" I yelled back as I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror.

I heard a loud thud, then breaking glass, then the unmistakable sound of my front door slamming shut. She could fucking pay for it if it was damaged I thought darkly as I reached for my toothbrush.

Only five weeks ago the fucking Cullen brothers, and whoever the fuck the blonde one was that was with them, had kicked the front door off its hinges and I didn't relish having to pay to have it replaced again.

I winced as the pain in my jaw shot through my head when I pushed too hard with the toothbrush. Motherfucker but it hurt.

I'd only just come good from the beating Emmett and the blonde had dished me when I'd gotten another one from three guys at the Rez. What the Cullen boys hadn't done my bros from the Rez had. I was left with both eyes blackened, my jaw dislocated, again, and a busted rib on my left to match the two I had on the right.

My life was now officially shit.

But Kim was dead right, she wasn't Bella.

I'd been banging Kim since I found out Bella was pregnant and I now regretted it wholly. Not because she wasn't a good fuck, she was. Nice and limber and morally flexible to boot, but she was no housekeeper and she definitely wasn't wife material. Hell she was barely girlfriend material. Friends with benefits was stretching the friendship as far as I was concerned.

Hell, she had to be reminded to wash herself frequently let alone pick up after herself in my apartment. It was a total tip now. I was almost too scared to shower in case I caught something from the dark film that was making its home on the tiles in the shower stall.

God himself only knew what was brewing in the toilet. If the smell was anything to go by it could possibly wipe out a small country and be classified as a chemical weapon.

I had hoped that Kim would take over where Bella left off now that we were free to do what we wanted, but no, she wasn't anyone's housewife as she'd told me loudly, and rather violently, just now. I spat the toothpaste into the basin and hoped it would go some way to disinfecting the mould that was building up in the sinkhole. I rubbed the flat of my fingers over the bright red welt on my cheek and cursed Kim again.

Her nails had left a gash across my face that would take days to go away. Couple that with all the marks left from my beat downs and I looked a treat. Not that it mattered. I had nowhere to go and nothing to do today, or any other day for that matter.

The fucking cops from Port Angeles had seen to that. They chose – probably on purpose – to come to my office to speak to me that first day. That had set tongues in the office wagging even though nobody knew what they wanted with me back then. But it hadn't taken long before everyone I knew had heard that I'd been 'helping the police with their enquiries'. Of course, to everyone else that translated to 'what the fuck has he fucked up now'.

Since then things had gone from crap to shit. My immediate boss had sternly suggested a leave of absence while I got my legal problems sorted out, so that meant no commissions and all the leads I did have would go to the other assholes in the real estate agency. It would take years for me to build my client base up again, if I ever could. I didn't want to think about what would happen if I lost my license, which was one of the things the cops had told me was likely to happen if they managed to make any of the abuse charges stick.

I had no doubt whatsoever that they could. I'd beaten Bella, badly that last time, and they knew it. There were doctors and lawyers and the police, detectives, my father and all the boys at the Rez to testify that they'd seen Bella bruised before and every single one of the stinking bastards would say it was me who'd done it. My lawyer told me not to say shit, but I couldn't defend myself anyway because it was all true. I had reasons of course, but nobody wanted to hear those. They just wanted to bust my balls for hitting a poor defenceless woman.

Woman my ass. She was a whore and nothing more. God only knew who she'd been fucking before I stupidly agreed to marry her, but I'd been lumped with his kid and I wasn't happy about it.

So by the time word had gotten out that Bella was in the hospital and I'd not gone to visit her in three days the damage to my reputation was done. I did go and see her and to be honest even I was disgusted at the way she'd looked. The cut on her lip was horrible. I didn't remember doing that much damage but I knew it had been me. I was just so fucking angry with her. All the time. Nothing she did or said ever made the anger go away. She'd fucked someone else. She'd given to someone else what I'd paid for. Charlie told me she was a good girl and I'd never seen her with anyone else. I knew for certain she'd never dated anyone. But, like the fool I was, I thought not dating someone meant she'd kept her legs closed. The first time I hit her I'd been ashamed of myself but she never even flinched. She didn't cry, she didn't yell, she didn't throw shit at me. She just took it.

Plus she ever defended herself. What was up with that? She never told me no. She never once tried to explain to me whose kid it was, how it had happened and why she didn't tell me. She just said she thought Charlie had told me before I said I'd marry her. What the fuck Charlie had to do with her being knocked up was beyond me. I'd spent hours, probably days, trying to work that one out but I'd never once come to any conclusions. Charlie treated her like shit, sure, but she never actually mentioned him in anyway, so I'd let it go.

At first, when we were kids, I used to ask her what had happened to her all the time. But Charlie made it real clear to my dad that there would be trouble for me if I kept asking, so I stopped. But by then I already loved her. Man was she hot back then.

All long dark curls and creamy skin. Apart from the bruises now and then she was gorgeous. She'd been my best friend for years so when Charlie suggested we get married I didn't hesitate. Little did I know I was copping the rap for some other assholes mistake with her.

I thought she was happy to be marrying me. She had told me herself she wanted to get out of home and even the village idiot could see that Charlie didn't want her anymore, so I took her. Cost me a fucking fortune too.

I'd been shocked when Charlie first suggested a dowry. I didn't even know what the fuck a dowry was back then. But when he explained it to me it sounded ok. Sort of like paying him back for all the years he'd had to raise her himself. She didn't cost me much more than a good sized diamond for her finger so I scrimped on the jewellery and gave Charlie the money. I thought I was getting a good deal. I loved her. It helped that I loved her. Parting with the money didn't seem such a big thing because I'd get the girl I wanted, she'd get the fuck out of home and we'd spit out a couple puppies and live happily ever after. The fairytale didn't last long.

I figured she'd grow to love me, if she didn't already, just like guys at the Rez who have their marriages set up for them. I was just looking outside the tribe for my bride, no different really.

Deep down I'd known she loved someone else, that she was settling for me. But right at the beginning that didn't worry me because I was sure I loved her enough for the both of us and that I'd be able to make her see how good we were together. I stupidly thought she'd grow to love me. That if I treated her right she'd fall for me as hard as I'd fallen for her. That's why it tore me up when I found out she was knocked up. I got angry, fast, and it never really seemed to go away after that.

She never once even blinked, let alone cowered, when I raged at her. She never once offered any explanation and that only fuelled the fire in my chest. I'd screwed my fair share of pussy before I married her but I wasn't dumb enough to knock any of them up and get stuck with them. But Bella didn't say who and after a while I stopped asking.

For three months I rode her hard. I admit I treated her like shit, but she never said stop and she never once backed down and just told me what the fuck she'd done and with whom.

Eventually I went to her dad. I asked him what the fuck I was supposed to do. I think all the colour drained from my face when he told me she was used to being slapped about and that if I did that she'd be more compliant. I didn't want her compliant I wanted her to fight back. I wanted justification for the anger I felt. I wanted her to yell and scream back, I wanted her to slap and punch and kick and fight. But she never did. No matter what I did to her she took it all. So in the end I fell into what Charlie had done with her. I started punishing her. Not because she did things wrong, she never did, but just because my anger had gotten out of control and I was hurt that she'd gotten pregnant to someone else.

By the time she had the kid I'd devised a whole set of rules for her to live by. I don't know how that even happened, I hadn't meant to do that to her, but there was just no outlet for my anger, and I couldn't hit her while she was knocked up, so I tormented her mentally instead.

God help me I still wanted her. Even as she ballooned and the kid grew I wanted her. With no bruises and her swollen belly I wanted her. And I took from her what I wanted but I wanted her to hurt like I was hurting, so instead of physical pain I gave her pain mentally. I withdrew everything from her, isolated her and belittled her constantly. She took it all. Every time I made up some stupid, useless new rule I thought this might be the time she cracked and just tore into me, but she never did. So my list of rules escalated until she couldn't pee without my say so.

I should've been ashamed of myself but oddly I wasn't. I felt justified finally and every time I met with Charlie he congratulated me on the fine job I was doing with my woman. I just got so used to the blessed relief tormenting her gave me that once the baby was born I decided the rules could stay even though I could hurt her physically again.

She bore it all with a smile – albeit a lopsided one – on her face. She was grateful that I'd not kicked her and the baby out! Can you believe that? She actually told me she was grateful to me for keeping her and the kid!

How fucked up is that?

When she brought the kid home, the first night, I hadn't planned to fuck her. I knew she'd be in pain and that she'd be bleeding. But for the first time since I married her she was free of someone else's spawn and when she came into the apartment she was fresh faced and free of the bulging stomach – almost anyway. I'd been prepared to hate her still, to still be pissed about the kid, but I wanted her. I made her put the kid in its crib and then I took her. I hurt her too, but not intentionally.

I hadn't meant to hurt her, I hadn't even really intended to have her. But she was as compliant as always and I'd held out just the tiniest bit of hope that now she was free of the kid we'd be able to start again, that she'd want me like I wanted her. But she'd argued, for the very first time she'd said no.

She told me she was cut, that she had stitches and that it would hurt her to have to have sex right then. But I was so ecstatic that she'd fought me, that she'd stood up for herself, that my need for her trebled while I stood there arguing with her. So I took her, forced her, tore her.

I was appalled at what I'd done but it didn't stop me from doing it again and again. But when I realised she was infected I'd backed off. I still wanted her, so I took her other ways, degrading ways, but I left that part of her body alone after that.

When it was all happening I told myself it was her own fault. I told myself that she deserved to hurt because I was hurting. I convinced myself that hurting her physically while denying her emotionally would teach her how important I was to her, that she needed me. But all along I think I knew it was just anger I was taking out on her.

I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror a long time and then went back into my bedroom to dress. The only times I left the apartment these days was to meet with my lawyer or the police. Today was going to be different. Today I was going to the clinic to talk to Edward Cullen again.

While the Rez boys beat the shit out of me two days ago they told me about Harry Clearwater being Bella's dad. They told me that Charlie Swan wouldn't be able to help me now, that he had no claim to Bella or the baby and that I was no longer welcome on the Reservation.

So many parts of that had been fucked up, not least because my own father was refusing to let me onto the Rez so I could see him and my sisters, but mostly because if Charlie Swan went to prison for beating Bella it was more than likely that I was going too. After all, I'd beaten her so badly she landed in hospital for over a month.

I wanted, no I needed, to confront Edward Cullen and find out if he was Elizabeth's father once and for all. I had no real reason to think that he was. I'd never seen Bella with anyone and never with Cullen, but he was taking care of her and the kid now and I had to wonder if he'd been sticking it to her all this time.

I wanted to know if he was its father before I met with the police and my lawyer again. The legal eagle said I should try to prove extreme provocation, that if I could name the father of her kid and prove that they'd tricked me into marrying her I might get a more lenient sentence if I plead guilty, citing extreme provocation as the cause for my anger that day.

My lawyer said it might make all the difference if I could actually name the kids father, not just prove that she wasn't mine. That meant going to the clinic and having it out with Cullen, something I didn't really want to do.

He wasn't as big as me but he'd had fire in his eyes the last time I'd seen him and I knew better than most what love could make you do. If he loved her, and I reckoned that he did, then he'd have no problem kicking my ass even though I'm bigger. Plus, I'm sporting about a dozen injuries. I still thought it was worth the risk. I'd try to keep my temper and just talk to the guy, he'd probably confess to screwing her without too much of a problem if he loved her the way I thought he did.

Not knowing if she loved him was what was fucking with my brain these days. The boys said she did, they said they'd met him and talked with him and they all thought she was better off with the Cullen's than she'd ever been with me or with the Chief. I didn't doubt it for one minute. But I still didn't know if Bella had loved Cullen all along and I'd just been set up.

I might hate the thought of going to prison but knowing she was okay on the outside would make it a little better. I'd never intended to hurt her but I had. I knew I had to pay the price for it, I just didn't want to think of her alone raising the kid. Despite what everyone thought I didn't hate Elizabeth. It wasn't her fault she'd been born into such shitty circumstances. I'd never hurt her. She was totally innocent, just like Bella had been when she was born into Charlie Swan's house.

I'd been questioned about Charlie Swan already and while I hadn't exactly painted him as a saint I hadn't shopped him completely either. I still didn't know what to do about that. If he wasn't her actual dad, if Harry Clearwater really was, then maybe the best thing I could do for both the girls was to help get Charlie Swan put away forever?

That might give them both a shot at a real life. Harry was a good man, he'd see them right.

I ran a hand through my hair and grabbed my keys off the filthy kitchen counter. With one last glance at Bella's list of rules taped to the wall I decided that if I was going down Charlie Swan was coming along for the ride.

I'd find out about Cullen then shop Charlie as best I could. If it meant Bella and Elizabeth would be free of him forever I'd do it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There is NEVER any justification for abuse, either mental, physical or otherwise. **

**But after speaking at length with the man who hurt me I came to realise that in some peoples minds they CAN justify it. The reasons giving above are not the thoughts of the author, merely a look into the mind of an abuser. How they make good their actions is a scary, scary thing...**


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